Royals' Moore drives 4 hours to give Zobrist WS ring

Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore would drive just about anywhere to thank Ben Zobrist for his two months' worth of contributions to the 2015 World Series champions.

Moore didn't have a choice, really, since the utility man left the Royals for the Chicago Cubs over the winter. But the architect of Kansas City's first champion in three decades still felt compelled to deliver Zobrist his World Series ring in person.

On Monday, the executive hopped on the I-70 and drove four hours east to St. Louis, where he presented Zobrist with the ring prior to the Cubs' contest against the Cardinals.

"We all know what an important player he was for us," Moore told Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. "Even though he was not in Kansas City for more than three months, he was an important part of our community, another guy who is a great teammate."

Moore may have understated Zobrist's importance to the Royals last year. Acquired from Oakland in late July for a pair of top prospects, the 34-year-old initially played left field while Alex Gordon was injured, before sliding over to second base upon Gordon's return. He slashed .284/.364/.453 over his two months as a Royal, and added another 20 hits in October.

Zobrist's Cubs, this year's preseason World Series favorites, are living up to the hype early with an 11-3 start.